Friday, 29 April 2016

Help us build a spiritual house - a Sanctuary of Peace that will facilitate anew model of
monasticism consisting of men and Women living the contemplative life
whilst dwelling in the secular world.

The ‘new model’ of monasticism is neither new nor is it a radical departure

from what we already know; but it is revolutionary – indeed it always has been – because it is for every living soul the 'natural' option to the perpetual demands of a secular world fuelled by consumerism. It applies equally to all, to young, old, rich or poor, to those who are either pursuing a busy secular career or running a busy household. The Sanctuary of Peacewill followtraditional patterns of the ancient British Church and provide the space and opportunity for people following this path to periodically withdraw from the world to spend time in silence,prayermeditationand spiritual discourse.

A Little about the Order of Dionysis & Paul

The Order of
Dionysis & Paula Christian
religious order of men and women based in the West Country of the UK, who
have followed this new model of monasticismfor more than fifty years, is seeking to raise £150,000
to purchase a site in the West Country on which it can build a Sanctuary of Peacebased upon
traditional patterns of the ancient British Church. The following link is an audio (NB. it is more than an hour long) describing aspects of the spiritual life as lived by members of the Order: a way of lifeAlthough most of the members are working or retired, none of them are high earners, yet they have managed to raise £40,000 through garage sales and other such ventures, and it will continue with such endeavours until the goal is achieved. This will take some time but with your help the goal will be reached much sooner. The monies raised will purchase the land upon which the Sanctuary of Peace can be built; which will be constructed using low-tech, low-impact straw-bale technology, resulting in an organic structure that harmonises with the environment and minimizes the energy used and carbon dioxide generated in its construction. The concept is to create an energy free, self-sustaining building, minimising cost and carbon footprint. This low-tech approach will significantly reduce the amount of energy required to construct the building, and, because of the insulating properties of the materials used, will save energy and minimise carbon dioxide in heating and cooling. Energy will be generated using solar panels for both hot water and electricity.

Front Elevation of the Sanctuary of Peace

Plan view of the Sanctuary of Peace

Key to the Sanctuary of Peace

The Library - A place of quiet, set aside for study & research.

Vestry & Sanctuary (Inner) - A place reserved for the sacred rites.

Sanctuary (Outer) - A place set aside for the teaching of meditation

Sleeping Quarters - For those who have come to spend time in prayer & meditation away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and for Order members who will be in residence to facilitate/oversee the activities of the Sanctuary of Peace.

Refectory & Kitchen - A food preparation area and dining room for those in residence.

The Study - An area for to discussion, seminars and relaxation.

The Office - For the general administration of the Sanctuary of Peace.

What the Sanctuary of Peace will look likeClick the following to view the CAD drawings of the envisaged Sanctuary of Peace: Sanctuary of PeaceWhy you should you help? In supporting this project you will be assisting others to engage with the ‘interior life’, which is the heart and soul of the ideal embodied in monasticism from its beginning more than seventeen hundred years ago. It is a simple path of ‘spiritualising’ one’s life, an objective that is achievable whether we live in the wilderness or in an urban environment. In either case it entails entering into the interior ‘wilderness’ of the soul – a solitary endeavour that is the essence of monasticism – to engage in the daily observance of Prayer and Meditation through which we may become conversant with our own spiritual nature and become aware of the Divine Presence not only within ourselves but within all living things.

By engaging in the work of spiritualising our life we empower ourselves to engage with the challenges we encounter in the world as opportunities to transform our own unruly nature (the wilderness), and to ‘make a difference’ in our communities every single day of our life. Those who engage in this work discover an interior world that is full of meaning and purpose, and a 'peace that passeth all understanding'. Consequently, spiritualising our life is perhaps the most important issue facing society today.

This way of life, an individual way of life accessible to all of us, will benefit greatly from the support that a spiritual house such as the Sanctuary of peace can give in providing the space and opportunity for people to periodically withdraw to spend time in silence,prayer, meditationand spiritual discourse.

As mentioned above, we have managed to raise £40,000 through garage sales and other such ventures but we do need your help if we are to achieve our objective. Run by members of the Order of Dionysis & Paul, the Sanctuary of Peace, will;

a) Enable men and women to explore the spiritual way of life as part of a wider community of people sharing in the contemplative life;

b) Provide the opportunity for people to withdraw from the world to spend time in the silence, in prayer, in meditation and in spiritual discourse, following the example set by the spiritual communities established by theancient British Churchand lived today by the members of the Order of Dionysis & Paul.

CONTRIBUTE NOW

Click here to contribute to this project via paypal:

Contribute to this project and receive a free download of Oratio: Contemporary Celtic Poems an album of spiritual poems read by their authors and set to music.

You can hear samples from this album by visiting digital music stores including iTunes and Amazon: see: